Cost of Living In Honduras

The republic of Honduras is a country located in Central America. Bordered by Guatemala, Nicaragua and the Pacific Ocean, it is one country that has a strategic location. This country is blessed with a lot of mountains and jungles all over. You can find the best Mayan civilization ruins here. It is rich when it comes to natural resources such as timber, iron, gold, ore, lead, zinc, coal, fish, and hydropower. Beside from these, you will definitely enjoy the great coastlines, beaches, and corals reefs that are found here.

But what about the cost of living in Honduras? Is it cheaper to live and retire in Honduras compared to the United States?

As for the economy of Honduras, it is increasing but not as rapidly as other countries. Life here is not as alarming as when you choose to live in other countries. You can expect to find a stable economy when you stay here in Honduras. With the stable economy, you can also expect a stable political situation here. It currently has a stable democratic government which is a good thing. You do not only get to live in such a scenic location, but you also get to live under the best settings here.

The currency used by residents in Honduras is the Honduran Lempira (HNL). One thing that you have to understand when you are in Central America is that the US dollar acts as a second currency here. You can carry around couple of USD bills when you stay here in Honduras and some shops will accept them. The value of 1 Honduras is equivalent to 0.05 USD and 0.04 EUR. Cost of living in this country is really cheaper.

Housing Costs

Living in Honduras is actually a blessing. With such great location and such great scenery, it is like you are living in paradise. The great thing is that you do not have to spend so much when you live here. The cost of housing here is around $30,000 (750,000 HNL) to $200,000 (4.5M HNL) for average homes. If you want, you can always check out apartments for rent. Renting in Hondurascosts around $300 (7500 HNL) to $400 (10,000 HNL) per month depending on where you live. Though the difference is minimal, you can still choose to pick a location which is cheap.

Transportation Costs

There are so many transportation modes when you are in Honduras. Depending on where you are going, you can choose to pick public transportation or renting of vehicles. If you own your own car, the gas prices cost around $3 (75 HNL) per liter. You can also choose to rent a car which costs around $30 (750 HNL) to $60 (1300 HNL) for the daily rate. If you plan on taking the bus, the fare price is around $0.70 (16 HNL). Taxi rates are at $3.50 for 5 km. They also have the Tuk-Tuk taxi that you can see in Honduras cost around $1 to $1.50 (25 HNL) per ride. Getting around is not that expensive here in Honduras so you can set aside $40 (1000 HNL) for transportation per month but this may be more than what you will actually use.

Average Cost of Monthly Utilities

The monthly utilities bill in Honduras is a bit cheaper here. Electricity here costs around $20 (500 HNL) to $40 per month. The water bill is around $20 per month. Adding these you might have to set around $60 per month for water and electricity, Additional monthly costs would include internet, cable and telephone expenses. Cable TV is around $ 25 (625 HNL) per month. For the internet connection, you can find some companies offering $35 per month. The telephone bill may cost around this range but telephone companies provide you with offers like free calls and such.

Cost for Maid Services

Maid services in Honduras are practically cheaper. There are a lot of individuals who would hire maids here. In every household, there is at least one maid that they hire. It is not necessarily full-time, but maid services are more common in the country. The daily salary of maids here are $8. If you plan on hiring full-time maids, this can cost around $200 (60,000 HNL) per month. Maid servicesare quite affordable here in Honduras so if you need help in cleaning, you can always trust maid services to help you out.

Cost for Food and Drinks

Dining in Honduras is not at all a problem. If you want to eat out, you can spend around $2 to $10 for food. This is very cheap so you can eat out as often as you want without really feeling that guilty when it comes to your money. As for groceries, you can set aside a budget of $150 to $250 (63,000 HNL) per month and still get to cheep change for it. Drinking is a cheap hobby here inHonduras. They have domestic beer sold at $1.50 per bottle while the imported beer is sold at $2.50 each.

Healthcare Costs

Honduras provides residents with a high standard or healthcare service. You can guarantee to receive only the best when it comes to doctors and health services. Though this may be the case, health care services are practically cheaper in Honduras. A single doctor’s visit may cost around $5 to $15 depending on years of experience. When confined in the hospital, you can pay around $30 to $40 (875 HNL) a day. Surgery may cost around $1000 (25000 HNL) depending on how big or small it is.

Clothing Costs

There are so many places where you can shop here. There are markets and department stores where you can shop for clothes for a cheaper price. There are markets where you can haggle for a cheaper price for the clothes but basically these are pretty cheap. You can already go on a shopping spree with $90 to $100 (2500 HNL) per month here in Honduras.

As you can see it can be very cheap to live in Honduras compared to the US. If you want a low cost of living compared to the United States you should learn more about traveling, living and possibly retiring to Honduras.